Times Of Swaziland: SITSEBE 85 PLACES BELOW BEST RANK

SITSEBE 85 PLACES BELOW BEST RANK
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Melusi Mkhabela on 24/06/2024 07:23:00


MBABANE – The Eswatini Women’s National Team, Sitsebe, have experienced a
significant decline over the years, dropping 85 places from their best-ever rank
of 97th in 2009.
The latest rankings from the International Federation of Association Football
(FIFA) for women’s teams, updated on Friday, June 14, 2024, revealed that
Sitsebe had fallen from 181st to 182nd within a year. In December of the
previous year, the team had accumulated 791.04 ranking points, marking a notable
decrease in performance. This decline began in August 25, 2023, when the team
was ranked 176th before slipping to 181st by the end of the year.
Sitsebe achieved their highest rank on June 26, 2009, amassing 863 ranking
points and securing the 97th position in the world. Notably, the team showed
significant improvement from December 21, 2007, moving from 146th  to 115th  in
the rankings by June 6, 2008. They continued to excel in the same year, climbing
another place in the rankings and accumulating a total of 863 ranking points.
The team maintained this rank until December 19, 2008, after which their form
continued to progress. By March 27, 2009, they had advanced to 107th  in the
rankings, culminating in their all-time best ranking of 97th.
Decline
However, from 2009 to 2015, Sitsebe experienced a substantial decline in
performance, dropping from the 97th world ranking to 141st  while also suffering
a 27-point drop from their 863 ranking points before they began to improve once
again. On December 18, 2015, Sitsebe improved by six places in the rankings,
reaching 135th  and further advancing to 132nd  by March 25, 2016. Fortunes
continued to favour the Eswatini women’s national team as they made another
improvement, reaching 129th by June 24, 2016. However, they experienced a
roller-coaster of results between June 24 and August 26, 2016, ultimately
dropping to 131st. The national women’s side have never qualified for any
tournament in their history. Better rankings help teams to be seeded in big
tournaments.